American Tourist Arrested After Allegedly Defacing Gate at Tokyo Shrine

A 65-year-old American tourist was arrested in Japan for allegedly defacing the entrance to a famous shrine in Tokyo, according to reports.

On Wednesday, Nov. 13, Steven Lee Hayes was arrested on suspicion of property damage, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to NBC News.

The day before, Hayes allegedly “carved alphabet letters” into a wooden pillar of the entrance – a traditional Japanese torii gate – of the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo’s Shibuya ward, police said, NBC News reports.

A shrine employee allegedly noticed the carving and called police, according to the Tokyo Reporter.

After that, police viewed surveillance video that allegedly captured Hayes carving the letters of his family’s last name into the wooden pillar with his fingernails, UPI reports.

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First opened in 1920, Meiji Shrine was dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shoken, who had died in the previous decade, CNN reports.

Destroyed during World War II, it was rebuilt in the 1950s.

Hayes was arrested at his hotel, UPI reports. He had arrived in Tokyo on Monday with his family for vacation.

It is unclear where in the United States Hayes is from and whether he is still in custody.

If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 300,000 yen ($1,918) for the alleged vandalism, according to CNN.

Police continue to investigate.